Allen West: Romney Might Need New Healthcare Advisers

Rep. Allen West says Mitt Romney may need some new advisers if his campaign continues to refer to the mandate in Obamacare as a penalty rather than a tax.

The Florida Republican told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren Monday the mandate “is a tax” because it forces people to buy health insurance or be penalized by the IRS if they fail to do so. Most Republicans agree with that view.

But Van Susteren noted that a Romney surrogate has been calling it an “unconstitutional penalty” rather than an outright tax, which she suggested seems to indicate a disagreement over message between the Republican presidential nominee and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill.